Last Dance
by Mythical Otter
Summary: As they go through high school Dipper and Mabel become more distant. The question is will they turn out like their Grunkles or can they continue to love each other through all the changes? R&R please!


**Hey guys! This idea came to me when I was listening to Last Dance by One Ok Rock and is inspired by it. I'm still working on the next chapter of After the War and it should be up sometime next week. I own nothing but my ideas.**

Dipper always remembered how they grew up, happy, and impossible to separate. They had been through so much together, how could they ever grow apart? All those summers now faded as they neared the end of high school.

Dipper decided to go back to Gravity Falls, Ford and Stan came back after adventuring for a few years and Dipper was once again prompted with the chance of apprenticeship. Mabel already had multiple art colleges begging her to apply.

They were changing. He was busy studying, researching, and trying to make it through all his advanced classes. Mabel often thought it was funny to pull pranks by putting glitter on his papers or leaving little jokes everywhere. Maybe once upon a time it would have made him laugh but now it was more of an annoyance.

"Mabel I told you to stop getting into my room! My teachers don't find it funny when my homework is bedazzled!" He had had enough, after yet another teacher had scolded him because Mabel had decorated his homework he was finally telling her off. Mabel pouted.

"But it's art!" He rolled his eyes.

"Then save it for the art room! My physics homework is not a canvas!" She glared at him.

"It was just a joke, I'm sorry that your stupid stuck up teachers don't appreciate it!" she stormed off leaving Dipper in the hallway still fuming.

After he finished his homework he felt bad for yelling at Mabel. He grabbed his emergency stash of Gummy Koalas that he kept in case she had a bad day and went to her room.

"Mabel? Listen I'm sorry for yelling at you, I have Gummy Koalas." her door creaked open and he entered silently. She was curled up on her bed, he sat down next to her and passed her the candy. She poked at them and slowly opened them before beginning to eat.

"I'm sorry for yelling Mabes, I just have a lot of stress with all my classes and I don't have an excuse I was out of line." She sat up.

"No I shouldn't have messed with your homework." He held out his arms.

"Awkward sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug." they did their signature hug, in moments like this it made him feel like they were just kids again.

"Hey Mabel."

"Yeah bro?" He shifted so they were side by side.

"Do you still have your scrapbook from our first summer in Gravity Falls?" She quickly dived beneath her bed and pulled out the glittery pink monstrosity.

"Of course I do Dip-Dip", she sate next to him and opened it.

They spent two hours reliving that summer, when they were young and happy. When they were thick as thieves and always helped each other. Their last year of middle school was fantastic, they always hung out. When high school came they began to drift. Dipper went to the academics portion of the school and Mabel found her home in the art department. They were still close but their tie was beginning to strain.

It began to split when Great Uncle Ford sent him a letter two months into their senior year. He wanted Dipper to reconsider becoming his apprentice, Stan and him were going to be back in Gravity Falls after the twins graduated, for they were done adventuring for now. Mabel was so hurt but Dipper couldn't turn down this opportunity, it was what he wanted to do. Mabel refused to talk to him for three weeks and it all went downhill from there. He became so busy and she wanted to still have fun, they weren't the same kids. As the school year began its second semester the race was on, Mabel applied to art colleges and Dipper had every teacher pushing fifty colleges his way. He turned them down saying he already had plans but they kept pushing.

For spring break their parents thought they should go on a weeklong roadtrip to try and strengthen their bond. It was fun and it did make them happy but in their minds they knew this was only distracting them from their problems. Dipper was still running off to a life of adventure and Mabel was still going to art school, it was inevitable. They were supposed to bond and they did, they knew they would always care for each other no matter what.

Finally it was time for graduation, Stan and Ford had already come home and were sitting in the stands with their parents ready to cheer them on. Even Wendy and Soos came, it was a big reunion. As Dipper walked across the stage he could hear loud whooping from his friends, Wendy was jumping and shouting, Ford was cheering and clapping, he looked so proud, and Stan was just being Stan, yelling about how that was his great nephew. After graduation they met up with their family, they all hugged and were happy. Many people shot them strange looks because it was such an odd bunch but the Stans scared them off.

They had agreed after they graduated they would spend one more summer in Gravity Falls, partially so they could move Dipper's stuff there, but also so they could have one more fun filled summer before college. Dipper and Ford worked together a lot and he didn't see Mabel as much as he probably should have. She may have been smiley and always happy but he could see through it. She was hurt, and it was Dipper's fault he knew it. What was he supposed to do? This was the chance of a lifetime, she had to understand that.

One night Mabel had had enough, she went up to their currently shared attic and slammed the door. Dipper looked up from his place on the bed concerned.

"Mabel are you okay?" she glared at him.

"Am I okay?! Are you kidding me?! I'm far from okay Dipper!" she used his real name, she was really mad. "This summer was supposed to be about being kids for one last time before we have to go adult and you are just spending it all with Grunkle Ford!" That's what she was mad about, he honestly felt bad because it was the truth.

"I know and I'm sorry Mabel. I promise that I will stop working this summer unless it's an emergency." She seemed to soften but still looked kind of angry.

"I just want one more fun summer before we have to work all the time." She sat on her bed and stared at the sheets sadly. He felt horrible.

"How about we go adventuring like we used to? Just go into the forest and run around. " She looked up at him surprised.

"Really?" he shrugged.

"Why not? Grunkle Ford can wait a day or two for my help." She smiled at him.

"Sounds like a plan then, I need to find my grappling hook though." He rolled his eyes, she never got rid of that old thing. All of a sudden she was right in front of him fist out.

"Mystery twins?" He bumped fists with her.

"Mystery twins."

After talking it out Dipper spent most of the rest of the summer hanging out with Mabel rather than with Ford. As always summer ends too fast, here they were celebrating their eighteenth birthday and Mabel's leaving for college. It was bittersweet; after the party Mabel went home with their mom and dad and he was left with an empty half of the attic. He knew what he wanted to do with his life and Mabel knew what she wanted to do with hers. Even though it ripped them apart physically, they knew that no matter how much they fight and how much they change they will forever be the Mystery Twins.

Dipper set up his little area in the lab. It had his journals he started after that first summer, a lab coat his size, and one picture of him and Mabel the day of their graduation, smiling and laughing.


End file.
